Virtual Backgrounds, Clinician Attire, and Patient Experience Preferences Among Individuals Receiving Telemedicine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.

Abstract

Telemedicine is a growing treatment modality for opioid use disorder and can offer greater privacy, flexibility, and agency to patients who have experienced stigmatizing behavior in other treatment settings. Designing a welcoming and respectful virtual environment is one mechanism for creating a patient-centered experience, yet to date, patient preferences for telemedicine treatment for opioid use disorder have not been evaluated. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess patient perspectives on Zoom backgrounds and provider attire among individuals receiving telemedicine treatment for opioid use disorder at a multi-state practice. A total of 601 patients participated in the study, of whom 60.4% were female and the average age was 41.4 years. Nearly 60% of respondents preferred real backgrounds during virtual visits. The majority of respondents did not have a preference for provider attire with the remaining respondents preferring casual attire to business casual or formal attire. Overall, we found that individuals with opioid use disorder prefer authenticity in backgrounds and personalized attire to establish trust and open communication in telemedicine.